Department for Transport

Govia Thameslink Railway

lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to ensure that trains running between Horsham and Peterborough stop at their scheduled stops and avoid stations being missed without passengers being given prior notice.

baroness sugg: Omitting scheduled station stops (‘station skipping’) is used for service recovery, the intention being to restore the service to timetable as quickly as possible following a problem. Services which miss stations en route are counted as cancellations against GTR’s performance benchmarks. The Department monitors GTR’s cancellation levels as part of the contractual performance regime. This incorporates incentives and penalties which are used to hold the operator to account. We expect the operator to make the correct operational decisions which balances the needs of passengers who are inconvenienced by taking stops out of service against the wider advantages to passengers to get services back on schedule as soon as possible. Operators are expected to communicate this to passengers in good time where possible, and to provide affected passengers with advice on the alternative options to complete their journey.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Copyright

lord clement-jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of introducing an international copyright exhaustion regime on the publishing industry if the UK leaves the EU.

lord henley: The Government is considering all options for the future and therefore no final assessment has been made. Any potential change to the UK’s exhaustion of rights regime, IPO officials would need to carry out research and stakeholder engagement, which is currently ongoing.

Energy: Meters

lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that energy customers who refuse to have smart meters installed in their premises are not disadvantaged by their energy suppliers.

lord henley: Smart meters will give consumers the data they need to take control of their energy consumption, allowing them to cut their energy bills. Smart meters will also help make the overall energy system more efficient and cheaper to run. While smart meters are voluntary for consumers they will benefit from having one. Ofgem’s existing regulations will continue to apply, which require energy suppliers to treat all consumers fairly. In addition the Government has acted to protect consumers regardless of meter type, by capping poor value standard variable and default tariffs.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possible effects that a lack of frictionless trade could have on UK car production after Brexit.

lord henley: On 28th November 2018 the Government laid before Parliament the following document intended to facilitate parliamentary scrutiny ahead of the vote on the final deal: “EU Exit: Long-term economic analysis”. This has been published on GOV.UK and copies have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses. The Government has therefore delivered on its commitment to provide Parliament with a robust, objective assessment of how exiting the EU may affect the economy of the UK, sectors (including automotive), nations and regions in the long run.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israeli Settlements: Hebron

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 9 November (HL11297 and HL11254), what discussions they have had with the government of Israel about the compatibility of the construction of an apartment block in Hebron with Israel's obligations under international agreements.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​While we have not discussed this specific plan with the Israeli Government recently, we regularly raise our concerns about illegal settlement activity. As I made clear in my earlier response in October last year, the previous Foreign Secretary issued a statement expressing concern about the approval of 31 construction permits in Hebron for the first time in 15 years. The Government’s position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution.

Israeli Settlements

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the govenrment of Israel about the introduction of settlers into the Occupied West Bank and the implications of this for (1) Israel's compliance with international law, and (2) establishing a comprehensive peace agreement.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Government's position on settlements remains clear: settlements are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to establishing a comprehensive peace agreement, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities.

Jamal Khashoggi

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have seen the contents of the CIA’s assessment of the intelligence relating to the death of Jamal Khashoggi; if so, what confidence they have in that assessment; and whether it establishes what happened on 2 October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK supports the continuation of the Turkish and Saudi investigations in order to provide a full picture of what happened on 2 October.

Jamal Khashoggi

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 19 November (HL11266), when they anticipate that Saudi Arabia will give the final explanation for the death of Jamal Khashoggi.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK has stressed the importance of following due process, and has called for the continuation of the investigation, which we expect to proceed in line with internationally recognised legal standards. We cannot pre-empt the results of the investigations.

Jamal Khashoggi

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent their response to the death of Jamal Khashoggi is consistent with their response to the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK condemns the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the strongest terms. We continue to treat this matter very seriously.

Israel: Gaza

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support the ceasefire in Gaza agreed on 13 November.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We urge restraint from all parties and welcome the return to calm in recent days. We strongly support the mediation efforts of the international community led by Egypt and the UN and urge continued talks aimed at finding an enduring peace in Gaza. In order to protect civilians it is crucial that a ceasefire is agreed and maintained as part of a political process that sees the Palestinian Authority return to Gaza, and that restrictions on the Gazan people and economy are lifted.

Libya: Politics and Government

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the divisions between the Libyan political factions can be bridged.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is actively engaged in efforts to support the UN-led political process in Libya, the objective of which is to facilitate agreement among Libyans on a more inclusive political settlement. We fully support the next steps in this process set out by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in his briefing to the UN Security Council on 8 November and endorsed at the Palermo conference on 12-13 November. These include the convening of a wide range of Libyan stakeholders for a National Conference early in 2019, in order to seek consensus on the way forward on a number of important questions relating to Libya’s future.

Kashmir: Human Rights

lord hussain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the APPG on Kashmir, Human Rights Abuses in Jammu Kashmir, published on 30 October; and what steps they are taking to encourage the governments of India and Pakistan to implement the recommendations of that report.

lord hussain: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of India about repealing the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts in order to allow members of the armed forces to be investigated for alleged human rights abuses, as recommended in the report by the APPG on Kashmir, Human Rights Abuses in Jammu Kashmir, published on 30 October.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We note the concerns about human rights violations and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act raised in the report by the APPG on Kashmir. The Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific has agreed to meet with the APPG Kashmir to discuss the recommendations of their report. We encourage all states to ensure that their domestic laws meet international human rights standards. Any allegations of human rights violations or abuses is concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. We raise the issue of Kashmir, including human rights, with the governments of India and Pakistan. The Government also works with the Indian and Pakistani governments to build capacity and share expertise to tackle challenges, including the promotion and protection of human rights.

Turkey: Emergency Powers

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they expressed appreciation to the government of Turkey following the lifting of the state of emergency in that country in July.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We welcomed the end of the state of emergency, and expressed the hope it would lead to normalisation and improved respect for fundamental freedoms in Turkey.

Turkey: Detainees

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people in Turkey who are currently detained without charge or trial.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In Turkey, suspects can be held in police custody for 48 hours only without being charged. In some circumstances this period can be extended up to 12 days. For the suspect then to remain in detention, they must be charged and their detention must be approved by a court. According to a statement by the Turkish Justice Minister on 20 November, there are 57,000 people in detention in Turkey whose sentence has not been confirmed. Some of these individuals may be awaiting their first hearing. Others will be part way through their hearing at a first instance court. Others will have been convicted by a first instance court but are appealing their conviction. We are concerned by the high numbers of people in pre-trial detention and will continue to monitor these issues closely.

Turkey: Judges

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Turkey about the lack of security of tenure for judges; and whether they intend to ask the UN Special Rapporteur to investigate this issue.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have encouraged respect for fundamental freedoms and checks and balances in Turkey, including the importance of an established, independent judiciary. We do not have plans to request a UN Special Rapporteur to investigate this issue.

Department of Health and Social Care

Occupational Therapy

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many qualified occupational therapists there are in the UK.

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many occupational therapists are (1) employed by the NHS, (2) self-employed, (3) working for private sector employers, and (4) working for public sector employers.

lord o'shaughnessy: To practice in the United Kingdom, occupational therapists must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). As of 20 September 2018, there were 39,197 occupational therapists registered with HCPC.NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups, but not staff working in primary care or in general practitioner surgeries, local authorities or other providers.NHS Digital monthly workforce statistics shows that as at 31 August 2018, the latest data available, there are 14,989 full time equivalent (FTE) clinically qualified staff with a care setting of occupational therapy employed by the National Health Service in England.Since September 2015, NHS Digital has been collecting Independent Healthcare Provider Workforce Statistics. These statistics are collected biannually and published as experimental statistics. There are 744 FTE clinically qualified staff with a care setting of occupational therapy that are employed by those Independent Healthcare Providers in England who respond to the survey, as at 31 March 2018 which is the latest data available.We do not hold data on occupational therapists who are self-employed or those working for public sector employers other than the NHS.

Occupational Therapy: Training

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people they estimate are currently taking recognised courses to qualify as occupational therapists.

lord o'shaughnessy: The information is not held in the format requested.

Occupational Therapy

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have atarget number for occupational therapists for the NHS; and if so, what is that target.

lord o'shaughnessy: Occupational therapists work in the National Health Service, local authority, voluntary and independent sectors. The Department does not have a specific target number for the number of occupational therapists for the NHS. Healthcare providers are responsible for ensuring that they have the right level of staffing to provide high quality care. Health Education England will work through its Local Education and Training Boards and others to ensure that there are sufficient staff being trained to meet the needs of patients.

Department of Health and Social Care: Private Finance Initiative

baroness mcdonagh: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget announcement that a new Private Finance Initiative unit will be established within the Department of Health and Social Care, how many staff will work in that unit; whether additional resources are being made available for that unit; and how many contracts that unit will be responsible for monitoring.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Chancellor announced in the 2018 Budget that the Department would be establishing a Centre of Best Practice to improve the management of existing Private Finance Initiative contracts in the National Health Service. The Department and Her Majesty’s Treasury are currently discussing the configuration and resourcing of the Centre of Best Practice.

Social Services

lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Local Government Association, The lives we want to lead: findings, implications and recommendations on the LGA green paper for adult social care and wellbeing, published in November.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Government will consider closely the findings of the Local Government Association’s report.

Health Services

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have put in place so far to ensure that NHS patients have access to a supply of (1) medicines, (2) vaccines, and (3) medical devices that their healthcare requires after 29 March 2019 if no Brexit withdrawal deal is agreed.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with the suppliers of (1) medicines, (2) vaccines, and (3) medical devices about the access of NHS patients to their products after 29 March 2019 if no Brexit deal is agreed.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with product transport and product supplier bodies about safeguarding to NHS patients after 29 March 2019 the supply of (1) medicines, (2) vaccines, and (3) medical devices if no Brexit withdrawal deal is agreed; and what conclusions these discussions have reached.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to (1) NHS England, (2) the wider NHS, and (3) suppliers, on the stockpiling of (a) medicines, (b) vaccines, and (c) medical devices in order to safeguard the healthcare of NHS patients after 29 March 2019 if no Brexit withdrawal deal is agreed.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance will be given to doctors and patients about obtaining and storing supplies of medicines if no Brexit withdrawal deal is agreed.

lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they will put in place to ensure the provision of medicines and medical supplies to acute hospitals after 29 March 2019 if no Brexit withdrawal deal is agreed.

lord o'shaughnessy: As the Government has now agreed, in principle, the Withdrawal Agreement with the European Commission, the Department has assessed that market access to medicines and medical equipment under the terms of that agreement will remain unchanged for industry andthe National Health Service during the implementation period, which will run from March 2019 until December 2020.As a responsible Government, however, we continue to prepare proportionately for all scenarios, including the unlikely outcome that we leave the European Union without any deal in March 2019.The Department has held confidential discussions with logistics companies and trade associations representing the vast majority of the medical suppliers in developing its plans.On 23 August 2018, the Department wrote to pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with selected pharmacy or prescription-only medicines, including non-national programme vaccines, from, or via, the EU/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the event of a no deal EU exit. On the same date, the Government published two technical notices on the batch testing and regulation of human medicines in the event of a no deal, together with a further technical notice on the submission of regulatory information on medical products.Officials in Public Health England are leading a programme to ensure the continuity of supply for all centrally procured vaccines which are distributed to the NHS for the UK National Immunisation Programme.On 23 August, the Department also announced contingency measures to increase stock holding at a national level for medical devices and clinical consumables. To this end, we are working with suppliers that routinely import products from EU countries to determine what measures they need to take so that they can continue to provide products in the unlikely event of a no deal EU exit.Since these initiatives were announced, the Department has received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medical supplies for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a no-deal EU exit.On 23 August, the Department also wrote to all NHS trusts, pharmacies, healthcare providers and general practices to inform them of our contingency plans for ensuring continuity of supply of medical supplies. The NHS was asked not to stockpile medicines and clinicians were advised to tell patients that the Government has plans in place to ensure a continued supply and they will not need to and should not seek to store extra supply at home.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

baroness quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made with the EU for the European Health Insurance Card to continue to be used by British citizens when travelling within the EU.

lord o'shaughnessy: The current structure of European Union rules and regulations will apply during the implementation period, and this includes cover under the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme.With regard to EHIC cover under the Withdrawal Agreement, where the United Kingdom, or an EU 27 Member State, is responsible for the healthcare of those within scope of the social security coordination part of the Withdrawal Agreement, such individuals will be entitled to EHIC cover for as long as they remain in scope. We have also agreed to protect the rights of individuals who are in a cross-border situation at the end of the implementation period, and entitled to an EHIC, to continue to benefit from that scheme for as long as that cross-border situation in the State they are in continues.In the White Paper of July 2018, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, the UK Government has stated that it is seeking agreement on reciprocal healthcare including continued participation in the EHIC scheme.

Medical Treatments

baroness walmsley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care receives when deciding how to instruct NICE in relation to whether to use the Single Technology Appraisal route or the Highly Specialised Technology route when assessing a new medicine or treatment.

lord o'shaughnessy: Departmental Ministers, on behalf of the Secretary of State, take decisions on the final referral of topics to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal and highly specialised technology work programmes on the basis of advice from the Department’s officials. The advice summarises the outcome of a topic selection process that is overseen by NICE and includes consideration of topics against published criteria by a group comprising representatives from the Department, NHS England and NICE and informed by public consultation.

Department for International Development

Burma: Conflict Resolution

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much, in total, the UK has provided in aid funding to the government ofBurma for the peace process in Burma since 2015.

lord bates: The UK supports the peace process in Burma through the Joint Peace Fund and the Joint Monitoring Committee. The UK has provided GBP £5.4 million to the Joint Peace Fund (JPF) since 2015. The JPF is funded by 11 international donors and supports all parties to the peace process on peacebuilding measures such as dialogue and negotiation. Of the £5.4m provided by the UK, £283,000 has been provided to the government of Burma. The UK has also provided £136,000 to the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The JMC was set up by the Burmese authorities and the signatory groups to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement to oversee dialogue between parties. DFID’s peacebuilding programme is reviewed annually, as is all support to the peace process.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much, in total, the UK has provided in aid funding for humanitarian assistance to those who are internally displaced in Kachin and Shan states of northern Burma.

lord bates: DFID has provided almost £19 million in humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected Kachin and northern Shan States since 2012. This includes assistance through our Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme, which has reached more than 100,000 internally displaced people.

Burma: Humanitarian Aid

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Burma to seek unrestricted access for international humanitarian aid to those who are internally displaced in the Kachin and Shan states of Burma.

lord bates: The UK remains deeply concerned by continued reports of violence in Kachin and northern Shan States. UK aid-funded humanitarian and development assistance supports vulnerable displaced people in Kachin and northern Shan States. DFID has provided almost £19 million in humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected Kachin and northern Shan States since 2012. The UK continues to raise our concerns with both the military and the civilian Government of Burma at every opportunity.

Burma: Human Trafficking

baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to address human trafficking from northern Burma.

lord bates: The UK is leading the fight against modern slavery internationally. In Burma, DFID is providing $9 million (£7 million) to raise awareness on trafficking and support safer and more productive migration across all states.

Department for Education

Pupil Exclusions: Special Educational Needs

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of children with special needs being excluded from school, the implications for their education, and the risk of such children being vulnerable to involvement in anti-social behaviour as a result.

lord agnew of oulton: In 2016-17 there were 3,605 permanent exclusions and 171,580 fixed period exclusions for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Pupils with identified SEN accounted for 46.7% of all permanent exclusions and 44.9% of fixed period exclusions.In March, the government launched an externally led review of exclusions practice, led by Edward Timpson CBE. The review will consider how schools use exclusion and how this affects all pupils, but in particular why some groups of children, such as those with special needs, are more likely to be excluded from school. The government will respond to this review after it is published at the beginning of 2019.The attached full terms of reference for the review can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusions-review-terms-of-reference.



A_Review_of_School_Exclusion_Terms_Of_Reference
(PDF Document, 107.44 KB)

Apprentices: Rural Areas

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of those undertaking apprenticeships are from isolated communities, as defined in the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper, published on 14 March.

lord agnew of oulton: A definition for ‘isolated communities’ is not available in the Communities Strategy green paper, and as such a percentage of apprenticeship starts for this cohort cannot be provided. However, The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has set an action which builds on the proposal set out in March’s green paper to “use targeted local communications and community ambassadors, including employers, to ensure minority ethnic groups are applying, getting and completing apprenticeships, and that local employers are recruiting apprentices.” The government will respond to the consultation on the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper later this year.The department does publish apprenticeship data on under-represented groups, and we have provided apprenticeship starts by a breakdown of detailed ethnicity to provide an alternative categorisation of cohorts which may fall under the ‘isolated communities’ definition. The table below provides apprenticeship starts broken down by detailed ethnicity from August 2017 to April 2018 as first reported for the 2017/18 academic year:Detailed EthnicityStartsPercentage of totalAfrican4,5301.6%Any other Asian Background2,8301.0%Any other Black/African/Caribbean Background1,7600.6%Any other ethnic group2,0000.7%Any other Mixed / multiple ethnic background2,0200.7%Any Other White Background12,8504.4%Arab320*Bangladeshi1,9300.7%Caribbean2,7601.0%Chinese440*English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British239,48082.4%Gypsy or Irish Traveller130*Indian4,0001.4%Irish1,090*Not Provided5,0701.7%Pakistani4,0801.4%White and Asian1,4300.5%White and Black African900*White and Black Caribbean2,8701.0%Totals 290,470 100.0%1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten, whilst ‘*’ indicates a percentage of less that 0.5.2) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).These figures are published and are available in the further education data library: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fe-data-library.

Vocational Guidance

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Careers Strategy: making the most of everyone’s skills and talents,published on 4 December 2017.

lord agnew of oulton: Working closely with the Careers & Enterprise Company and the National Careers Service, we are making good progress in delivering the commitments in the careers strategy.We have created 20 new Careers Hubs, each with a Hub Lead and central hub fund, the majority of which are coordinated by the Local Enterprise Partnership or Combined Authority. We recently announced that we will create a further 20 Careers Hubs, bringing the total to 40. We have also brought in a requirement for all maintained schools to publish information about their careers programme on their website, including the name and contact details of the Careers Leader. Additionally, we have selected 14 high quality training providers to deliver Careers Leaders training. We have offered the first 500 training bursaries to fund Careers Leaders to attend this training and we recently announced new investment to increase our offer to approximately 1400 training bursaries for schools and colleges.We have also launched a £2.5 million investment fund to invest in personal guidance for young people and Continuing Professional Development for careers guidance professionals. We have procured a new National Careers Service, which will provide high quality bespoke support for those who need it most, including people with low qualification levels and those with learning difficulties and special educational needs and disabilities.The Careers & Enterprise Company recently published their ‘State of the Nation’ report which measures school and college careers programmes in relation to the eight Gatsby Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance. This evaluation mentioned that Compass is a free online tool for schools and colleges in England to self-assess against the Gatsby Benchmarks. For the 946 schools that have completed Compass more than once, the average number of benchmarks achieved has increased from 1.9 to 2.9. Approximately 600 schools matched with an Enterprise Adviser and completed Compass in both the period of 2016 to 2017 and the period of 2017 to 2018. For these schools, performance against Benchmark 5 (employer encounters) has increased from approximately 40% to approximately 55%.

Vocational Guidance

lord murphy of torfaen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the Careers Strategy pilot scheme for routes into careers for vulnerable groups.

lord agnew of oulton: To target more support on those who need it most, the government has invested £5 million during 2018 in a new round of the Careers & Enterprise Company’s funding. This will help disadvantaged pupils to receive the additional support that they need to prepare for work, including opportunities for mentoring and personal guidance from a qualified careers professional. We have also established 20 Careers Hubs focused on groups of young people and areas most in need of targeted support and we have announced a further 20 Careers Hubs for 2019.The government is also providing funding of £1.7 million to test new approaches and produce resources to improve careers information, advice and guidance for individuals who are disadvantaged or vulnerable. We want to broaden aspirations and raise awareness of pathways into training and work for young people with special educational needs and disabilities; looked after children and care leavers; and young people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. Organisations have been recruited and work with these groups will start in January 2019.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Religious Hatred

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further support they will give to Nissar Hussain and his family, and others, who have left the Islamic faith and if facing persecution in the UK.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Everyone in Britain has the right to feel safe and at ease in the place where they live. Any individual or group is free to express views and beliefs, but have a duty to behave responsibly and to respect other people’s rights as defined by the law. Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, democracy, the rule of law, and equal rights define us as a society, and the Government is determined to promote these values. Britain has a strong legal framework in place to deal with hate crimes, and these must be reported to the police.

Ministry of Defence

Warships: Shipbuilding

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made in the shipbuilding strategy of the optimum warship loading of UK shipyards to ensure (1) best value for money, (2) enhanced productivity, and (3) innovation.

earl howe: The National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSbS) announced that warships would be built in the UK on the basis of a competitive tender between UK shipbuilders. Competition will help to ensure value for money and productivity. Companies can choose where they wish to undertake the work in the UK. The NSbS encouraged UK shipbuilders to make use of the support available to help innovation, including the High Value Manufacturing Catapults, Productivity Council Funding, and the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The NSbS Master Plan provides a 30-year forecast of Royal Naval shipbuilding requirements, providing industry with greater certainty about the Royal Navy's procurement plans so it has the confidence to invest for the long term in its people and its assets. This will allow industry to raise productivity, innovation and improve its competitiveness in the domestic and overseas markets. The 30 Year Master Plan also allows the alignment of capability development and associated innovation with the plan in order to deliver the Maritime Strategy 2035 vision.

Ministry of Defence: Allowances

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byEarl Howe on 21 November (HL11446), what is the maximum allowable payment to Ministry of Defence staff for services booked through the DefenceHotel Reservation Servicewhen undertaking (1) business travel, (2) duty travel, and (3) detached duty.

earl howe: For most UK and overseas travel, staff must obtain prior Line Management agreement before undertaking any business travel booking. This includes other duty/detached duty travel. Self-approval is permitted for certain employees, but only up a maximum of two nights’ accommodation for the most senior grades. Specific cost ceiling limits vary. Staff arranging travel and overnight accommodation are expected to utilise the most economic option available. The chosen hotel accommodation should be within the ceilings imposed for each location, and specific justification must be provided where the lowest cost option is not utilised. Any business travel expenditure incurred by staff is subject to subsequent audit checks by line management and business areas.

Aviation: Military Bases

lord trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to theirGeneral Aviation Strategy, published in March 2015, what steps they have taken to achieve general aviation use of military airfields; and whether they consider their commitments to general aviation in this regard to have been met.

earl howe: The commitments set out in the 2015 General Aviation Strategy have been met. Ministry of Defence policy remains to encourage General Aviation to have access to military airfields wherever possible. In addition, the RAF Flying Clubs Association provide General Aviation training and scholarships for RAF personnel at fourteen flying clubs based on RAF Stations.In the Strategy we undertook to update the guidance and increase publicity around General Aviation access to military airfields. Consequently, the RAF website has been updated and now contains consistency of published contact details and Defence Aerodrome Manuals for each Station.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Families

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Buscombe on 20 November (HL11324),in which period the UK spent3.8 per cent of GDP on expenditure classified by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as “family benefits”; and whether "family benefits" include (1) tax breaks, and (2) cash benefits and services.

baroness buscombe: The latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data is for 2013. The “family benefits” category includes both cash benefits and services. It does not include tax breaks.

Poverty

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take further action to address relative poverty in the UK in response to theStatement on Visit to the United Kingdom, by Professor Philip Alston, United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, published on 16 November.

baroness buscombe: The Government will carefully consider the findings set out in the Special Rapporteur’s interim report published on 16 November. Professor Alston’s final report will be presented to the June 2019 session of the of the Human Rights’ Council. Any formal comments made by the Government in response will be published alongside the final report on the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ website.  Under this Government, income inequality has fallen and remains lower than in 2010; the number of children in workless households is at a record low; and there are 1 million fewer people in absolute poverty (before housing costs) compared with 2010, including 300,000 children. The Autumn Budget announced a number of changes to Universal Credit ahead of further expansion including an increase of £1,000 in work allowances from April 2019 allowing 2.4 million households to keep an extra £630 of income each year. Work continues to offer people the best opportunity to move out of poverty. Children living in households where all adults are working are five times less likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs than those in workless families.

Mental Health Services: Employment

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to making the provision of mental health first aid mandatory in the workplace.

baroness buscombe: The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 already allow for the consideration of mental health alongside physical health when undertaking a needs assessment. On the 21st November 2018 the Health and Safety Executive published guidance to clarify this point for employers. Key evidence reviews of the impact of mental health-type training in a workplace environment show that there are a number of knowledge gaps which mean it is not possible to say whether the training is effective in improving the management of mental health in workplaces, or whether it is the only effective mechanism for support. The research also identifies additional prevention and management actions that employers should put in place to create a comprehensive approach. In January 2017, the Prime Minister commissioned Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer, the Chief Executive of Mind, to conduct an independent review into how employers can better support all employees, including those with mental ill health or wellbeing, to remain in and thrive at work. “Thriving at Work: The Stevenson / Farmer review of mental health and employers was published in October 2017.” In November 2017, the joint DWP/DHSC Work and Health Unit (WHU) published “Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability” setting out plans for three key settings: welfare system, workplace and health system, and also set out the Government’s response to “Thriving at Work”. This response welcomed a key recommendation from the ‘Thriving at Work’ review for employers to adopt a set of core mental health standards that will provide a comprehensive approach to transforming mental health in the workplace. Government is committed to working with the authors of the review and key stakeholders across the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that employers of all sizes act to implement the core and enhanced standards and help them, and their employees, realise the benefits of healthy, inclusive workplaces.Therefore, the Government’s view is that the best way to secure employer action is to engage with employers on a voluntary basis to implement the comprehensive mental health core standards approach rather than legislate on a single issue.

Universal Credit

baroness meacher: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify individuals who will need support in making Universal Credit claims; and what support they will provide to all claimants.

baroness buscombe: All claimants, including those who are vulnerable or with mental health conditions, receive continuous tailored support through their personal work coaches, and all DWP staff working with claimants complete extensive training that prepares them for their role. Specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups, with guidance to signpost claimants to relevant support, and these circumstances will be recorded on a claimant’s online account. We take a number of steps to identify individuals who will need support in making a claim to Universal Credit. For example, we identify claimants either prior to or at the initial claim stage, to discuss what support mechanisms need to be in place to make a claim. This can be through discussions with their Work Coach, the Universal Credit helpline and/or through home visits. For those individuals identified as requiring support, Universal Support provides advice and assistance to help claimants manage their Universal Credit claim, with a focus on budgeting advice and digital support. Since 2017, Universal Support has been delivered by individual local authorities, funded by grants from DWP. From April 2019 Citizens Advice (England and Wales) and Citizens Advice Scotland will take on the responsibility for delivering a strengthened Universal Support service, a move which will ensure a consistent and streamlined service for claimants across the country. This new partnership will ensure vulnerable claimants get the support they need to make a claim and manage their money.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Coastal Erosion

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional funds they will make available to deal with coastal erosion, following the report by the Met Office,UK Climate Projections, published on 26 November, which highlighted the impact of climate change on potential flood areas.

lord gardiner of kimble: On 26 November, we published with the Met Office, a new set of UK Climate Projections 2018. This is the first major update to the UK’s national climate change projections for nearly 10 years. Coastal change through erosion or flooding of land has always been a risk for those living and working by the sea. These projections show we can continue to expect increases to extreme coastal water levels, driven mainly by increases in mean sea level rise, although we cannot rule out additional changes in storm surges. The Government is investing over £1.2 billion of Government funding as part of our current programme to better protect 170,000 properties from coastal flooding and erosion in the 6 years up to 2021. We are considering future needs for investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management, ahead of a review of flood and coastal erosion funding beyond 2021. The updated climate projections will be taken into consideration as part of this work.

Food: Imports

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have prepared for householders on the availability of food supplies previously imported from the EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they have prepared for householders concerning stockpiles of non-perishable food in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK has a high degree of food security as shown by the UK Security Assessment. This is built on access to diverse sources of supply, including our excellent domestic production. Consumers will continue to have a wide choice of food after we leave the EU. While we are making sensible preparations for all eventualities as we leave the EU, there are no plans for the Government to store food. Defra recently published a series of Technical Notices outlining preparations in the event of leaving the EU without a deal. This information can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Home Office

UK Visas and Immigration: Fees and Charges

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Manzoor on 18 October (HL Deb, col 564), when they will publish the equality impact assessment for the introduction of charges by UK Visas and Immigration for those making inquiries from abroad.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office undertook a Policy Equality Assessment in May 2017 as part of the Home Office procurement for UKVI Contact Centre services and will publish the findings in December 2018.

Asylum

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 November (HL11255),whether they will report regularly to Parliament on (1) how "comprehensive support and accurate information" are being provided to vulnerable migrants now in continental Europe, (2) the progress of their vulnerable person re-settlement scheme, and (3) the application of the Dublin Regulation to the family reunification of unaccompanied children.

baroness williams of trafford: We have allocated a £3.6 million Dublin development fund, as part of the Sandhurst Treaty signed between the UK and France in January 2018, to identify projects to support eligible claims through the asylum process and ensure those who are ineligible for transfer to the UK are informed of their options. We are in the process of transferring these funds and will continue to work with the French Government to implement this work. We will update Parliament as and when we have relevant information to share.As of June 2018, a total of 12,851 people had been resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) since it began across 288 local authorities. The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The statistics are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release. We are confident that the VPRS is on track to deliver the commitment. More refugees are arriving every month and the figure for resettlement continues to rise.On 30 November 2017, the Government published data on the numbers of children transferred to the UK from the Calais camp clearance. The data can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transfers-of-children-to-the-uk-from-the-calais-operation-november-2017On 22 February 2018, the Home Office published data on the number of transfers into the UK from other Dublin states. The relevant statistics can be found at as_22_q, asylum volume 5 at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017-data-tables. 2018 Dublin data will be published in February



Transfers of Children to the UK from Calais Ops 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 308.07 KB)




Immigration Stats - Asylum Oct-Dec 2017
(Excel SpreadSheet, 1.03 MB)

Asylum: Housing

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure the accountability of service providers under the new (1) Asylum Accommodation and Support Transformation, and (2) Advice, Issues Resolution and Eligibility contracts for asylum accommodation.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government expects the highest standards from our contractors and Providers are monitored closely to ensure they continue to meet these standards.The forthcoming Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract(AASC) together with the Advice, Issue Reporting & Eligibility(AIRE) contracts, include clearly defined performance standards measured through a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set within a wider Performance Management Regime (PMR) that will ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Service Users.These will be monitored formally at Contract Management meetings between the providers and representatives of UK Visas and Immigration.There is a rigorous contract compliance regime in place to ensure that the required performance standards expected of all providers, as defined in the contracts, are met. Instances of non-conformance of the performance indicators may lead to a financial deduction from monthly invoices

Hate Crime

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rise in hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales in the last five years, and the implications for community cohesion of such a rise; and what steps they will take to counter this trend.

baroness williams of trafford: Police recorded hate crime has more than doubled over the period 2012/13 to 2017/18. This increase is thought to be driven largely by general improvements by the police in how they record crime, as well as better identification of hate crimes, willingness of victims to come forward, and a genuine increase in these offences around certain events. Better recording is an important part of how to tackle hate crime and support victims.The independent Crime Survey of England and Wales meanwhile shows a welcomed downward trend in the actual incidence of hate crime. Latest data shows a 40% reduction between the combined 2007/08 to 2008/09 and combined 2015/16 to 2017/18 surveys.However, this Government recognises that there is no room for complacency given the impact of hate crimes on victims, their families and wider communities. The Hate Crime Action Plan refresh published in October 2018 sets out a comprehensive plan for tackling the issue. This includes work under 5 key themes: preventing hate crime by challenging beliefs and attitudes; responding to hate crime within our communities; increasing the reporting of hate crime; improving support for victims of hate crime; and building our understanding of hate crime.

Asylum: Housing

lord ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the report by Refugee Rights Europe, Finally Safe? Experiences of Women in Asylum Accommodation in Birmingham, published in November, andthe proposals made by Asylum Matters and the Scottish Refugee Councilabout an increased role for local authorities in the procurement and monitoring of asylum accommodation.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government demands the highest standards from contractors and their accommodation and monitor them closely to ensure this is maintained. All Providers are contractually required to take account of any particular circumstances and vulnerability of those that they accommodate, including those who have health care issues or are pregnant. This includes making specific allowances for accommodation type in accordance with local authority regulations, as well as ensuring that registration and transportation to medical appointments takes place.Identifying the needs of service users as well as safeguarding those being supported by UKVI are common themes throughout the new contracts. Additional measures have been put in place to monitor the service that is being delivered, introducing mechanisms and opportunities to respond to changes in service user circumstances whilst they are supported and accommodated. We encourage all reports to share details of individual cases with the Home Office to ensure that we are able to respond swiftly and efficiently to any points raised.We take the wellbeing of asylum seekers and the local communities in which they live extremely seriously and will continue to work closely with local authorities across the United Kingdom to deliver on our statutory obligation to house destitute asylum seekers whilst their asylum claims are determined. All accommodation providers are contractually obliged to consult the relevant Local Authority on any new properties procured for use in the asylum dispersal system. This obligation will continue into the new accommodation contracts.

Immigration

lord wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the definition of a "durable relationship, duly attested" for the purposes of article 10(4) of thedraft agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

baroness williams of trafford: A “durable relationship, duly attested” for the purposes of Article 10(4) of the draft Withdrawal Agreement reflects the provision made by Article 3(2)(b) of the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC). Its definition is reflected in that of “durable partner” in Appendix EU to the Immigration Rules for the EU Settlement Scheme, under which resident EU citizens and their family members will be able to obtain UK immigration status in line with the agreement.This requires that the couple have lived together in a relationship akin to a marriage or civil partnership for at least two years (unless there is other significant evidence of the durable relationship), and that the applicant provides the requisite documentary evidence of this.

Immigration

lord wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compliancewith human rights legislation of the requirement in article 10(5) of thedraft agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU for a host state to undertake "an extensive examination of the personal circumstances" of a person who has applied for residence.

baroness williams of trafford: The requirement in Article 10(5) of the draft Withdrawal Agreement with the European Union to undertake “an extensive examination of the personal circumstances” applies to extended family members of EU citizens who have applied for residence in the UK. It is based on an identical requirement in Article 3(2) of the Free Movement Directive (2004/38/EC).As this requirement is taken directly from existing EU law, we consider it to be compliant with the UK’s human rights obligations as set out in the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which apply in all EU Member States.

Cabinet Office

Thames House

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the (1) cost of, and (2) justification for, the cladding covering the scaffolding on the headquarters of MI5, Thames House; and what plans they have to recycle the cladding materials once the work on Thames House is complete.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what repair or refurbishment work is taking place on the headquarters of MI5, Thames House, which requires the whole building to be covered in scaffolding and cladding.

lord young of cookham: As has been the policy of successive governments, the government does not comment on matters relating to the intelligence agencies including the security of their buildings. The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament scrutinises the policies, expenditure, administration and operations of the intelligence agencies on behalf of Parliament.

Treasury

VAT: Electronic Government

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 14 November (HL11158),how many of the compatible software products listed on GOV.UK provide specifically for the VAT Flat-Rate Scheme; and what assessment they have made of the affordability of such software.

lord bates: A number of providers offer products that support the Flat Rate Scheme (FRS). HMRC is currently collating information about those products so it can make this information available on the software choices page. Low-cost bridging products which work by importing data from other systems can also be used to send the data to HMRC, providing those systems support FRS

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves: Venezuela

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the benefits to the UK of holding gold reserves for the central bank of Venezuela, and (2) the value of gold held by the Bank of England for the central bank of Venezuela; and whether they have a role in intervening if a request is made to repatriate any such gold.

lord bates: HM Treasury is unable to substantiate whether the Bank of England holds gold for the Central Bank of Venezuela as that is a matter for the Bank of England. HM Treasury has not made an assessment of the benefits to the UK of the Bank of England holding gold reserves for other central banks. Holding gold reserves on behalf of any foreign central bank is a matter for the Bank of England. The Bank of England does not share information on which central banks it holds gold reserves on behalf of or the value of that gold as this would contradict their customer confidentiality obligations.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the benefits to the UK of holding gold reserves for other central banks, and (2) the value of gold held by the Bank of England for other central banks.

lord bates: HM Treasury is unable to substantiate whether the Bank of England holds gold for other central banks as that is a matter for the Bank of England. HM Treasury has not made an assessment of the benefits to the UK of the Bank of England holding gold reserves for other central banks. Holding gold reserves on behalf of any foreign central bank is a matter for the Bank of England. The Bank of England does not share information on which central banks it holds gold reserves on behalf of or the value of that gold as this would contradict their customer confidentiality obligations.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a role in deciding for which foreign governments and central banks the Bank of England should hold gold reserves; and if so, for which foreign governments and central banks the Bank of England holds gold reserves, and in what quantities.

lord bates: HM Treasury does not have a role in deciding whether the Bank of England holds gold for foreign governments and central banks. HM Treasury is unable to substantiate whether the Bank of England holds gold for particular foreign governments and central banks as that is a matter for the Bank of England. The Bank of England does not share information on which foreign governments and central banks it holds gold reserves on behalf of or the value of that gold as this would contradict their customer confidentiality obligations.